Physics

One of the finest minds of our time, Stephen Hawking, author of the all-time best selling book ?A Brief History of Time,? gave a public lecture at Caltech on April 9. I attended the event, excited about the prospect of hearing all that he had to say about physics. I am next to useless when it comes to physics. Give me any other subject and I can at least do a little something with it, but physics is just one of those things that does not compute in my brain. A couple of friends were with me that night for the lecture ?

Hans Wolfgang Liepmann, a pioneering researcher and passionate educator in fluid mechanics, passed away at the age of 94. Liepmann, the Theodore von Kármán Professor of Aeronautics, Emeritus, at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), passed away June 24 at his home in La Cañada Flintridge. Widely honored for his contributions to aeronautics, Liepmann came to Caltech in 1939 and was the third director of Caltech’s Graduate Aeronautical Laboratories (GALCIT), from 1972 to 1985.

Four retiring teachers were honored by Superintendent Jim Stratton, the Governing Board and the District staff at the end-of-the-year breakfast on Thursday morning, June 21. Randy Boal , longtime coach, athletic director and social science teacher, has been with the district for 35 years. He was the first walk-on coach for frosh football in 1972 and within two years became a classroom teacher. Randy taught a range of subjects including government, economics, American history, regional studies, algebra I, physical geography and introduction to social sciences.

St. Bede School hosted their annual Science Fair featuring 8th Grade projects on March 11 and 12. Under the direction of Mr. Jeff Fox, students researched a project of their choice, and experimentally tested their hypothesis. Students competed in either the physical or life science field. The winners in Life Science were l st Michael Dimen, 2nd Amber Montesanto; 3rd Justin Hamm and Honorable Mention Raleigh Scharre. In the Physical Science category, the winners were 1st Michael Thompson, 2nd Marc Schwartz, 3rd Don Pontrelli and Honorable Mention Brendan Murran.

Jet Propulsion Laboratory Director for Astronomy and Physics Dr. Jakob van Zyl will speak on "The Excitement and Challenge of Astronomy and Physics from Space" and present the annual Les Tupper Community Service awards at 7 p.m. Monday, May 8, at JPL's von Karman Auditorium. Van Zyl's directorate is responsible for JPL's programs searching for planets around other stars and studying the origins of galaxies and the universe using space-based instruments, telescopes, and robotic spacecraft, including such successful missions as the Spitzer Space Telescope that is studying deep space at infrared wavelengths, and the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX)

Named for an outstanding La Cañada Flintridge community leader and volunteer, the late attorney Leslie C. Tupper, the annual Les Tupper Awards will be presented Monday night, May 8. The event will be held at 7 p.m. in von Karman Auditorium at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 4800 Oak Grove Drive. The Coordinating Council will honor local community standouts Sherry Kirchheimer and Karen Mathison, student leaders Mary Kate Hurlbutt and Will O'Brien, special community volunteer Mary Barrie, The Apple Cart owned by Peggy Stevens and the La Cañada Thursday Club.

Gallagher to present Tupper Awards in May David Gallagher , deputy director of the Astronomy and Physics Directorate at JPL, will present the annual Les Tupper Community Service Awards on Monday, May 10, in JPL?s von Karman Auditorium. All residents are invited to this annual event sponsored by the La Cañada Flintridge Coordinating Council . Gallagher will also provide an overview of JPL and the projects within the Astronomy and Physics Directorate Prior to his current assignment, Gallagher was project manager for the Space Interferometry Mission, a future program to study planets around other stars using two smaller separated telescopes in space to achieve the capability of a very large diameter telescope.

The choreography of high jump has been ingrained in Jonathan Sparks’ head all season. “I just did a project in physics on the high jump,” Sparks said. “We had to pick something we enjoy and talk about the physics aspects of it. I kinda walked through it: the approach, the take off, the form and how it relates to physics. “I can do it in my sleep. I live for this sport.” And the sport paid him back in kind. The La Cañada High junior with a 5.0 GPA jumped his highest of the year in a dual meet against Monrovia this season at 6-08, setting the La Cañada record.

La Cañada eighth grader Amir Mojarradi took third place this past weekend in the Los Angeles County Science Fair in the physics, electricity and magnetism category. Roughly 1,000 students across the county competed at the fair held April 28 at the L.A. Convention Center. Mojarradi's parents, Nikki and Mohammad Mojarradi, said that it was their son's own idea and desire to participate and represent the 7/8 program at La Cañada High School. His enthusiasm and perseverance led him to win the award.

La Cañada's public schools made modest gains on standardized tests, according to a report released Monday by the California Department of Education. "It's difficult for a district like ours that does so well on these tests to continue to improve, but historically we have, and that's the challenge," said Scott Tracy, vice president of the LCUSD Governing Board. "Obviously, the closer you get to 100%, the more difficult it is to do. " The education department's target for the program is for students to place in the "proficient" or "advanced" levels.

Ten Years Ago Foothill Summer Music Theatre, featuring area youths with an interest in stage productions, in July 2000 was presenting its 19th annual musical, "The Pajama Game," at the La Cañada High School auditorium.    Twenty Years Ago Dr. Edward C. Stone Jr., then vice president for astronomical facilities and professor of physics at Caltech, was named to succeed Lew Allen as director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.   Thirty Years Ago Competing for Peru in the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow was La Cañada Flintridge swimmer Celeste Garcia, 15, who had just completed her freshman year at LCHS.

Nothing makes La Cañada High School senior Hima Hassenruck-Gudipati quite as happy as a 120-pound robot or riding inside a 16-foot solar-powered boat. Hassenruck-Gudipati is president of the La Cañada High School Engineering Club who used her skills and enthusiasm for engineering this past weekend at the Solar Cup, a seven-month engineering program for more than 800 high school students in Southern California. La Cañada’s 23-member team designed, built and raced solar-powered boats while learning resource conservation on Lake Skinner in Temecula Valley.

Council gives awards, installs its 2010-11 officers On May 10 the La Cañada Flintridge Coordinating Council presented the 47th Annual Les Tupper Community Service Awards during a program held in JPL?s von Karman auditorium and hosted by NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. David Gallagher , deputy director of the Astronomy and Physics Directorate at JPL, made the presentation of the 2010 Les Tupper Community Service Awards to resident Joe Thompson , the Kiwanis Club President Nick Berkuta representing the Kiwanis Club of La Cañada, and La Cañada students Nicole Morrison , Estrella Sainburg and Malia Mailes . The Coordinating Council concluded the Tupper Award ceremony with the installation of its new slate of officers and directors for the coming year.

Five La Cañada residents will receive the Les Tupper Award at a ceremony May 10 in von Karman Auditorium at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The annual awards are sponsored by the La Cañada Flintridge Coordinating Council, which solicits nominations from the community. This year’s honorees boast an array of volunteer work, from positions at La Cañada Valley Beautiful and Spartan Booster Club, to work in La Cañada High School’s PTSA, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles and more.

Five La Cañada residents will be given one of the community’s most prestigious honors, the Les Tupper Award, at a ceremony May 10 in von Karman Auditorium at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The annual awards are sponsored by the La Cañada Flintridge Coordinating Council, which solicits nominations from the community. This year’s honorees boast an array of volunteer work, from positions at La Cañada Valley Beautiful and Spartan Booster Club, to work in La Cañada High School’s PTSA, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles and more.

While attending coffees for last November’s school board election, the most often asked questions I heard, right after the budget and charter schools, were those regarding the STEP (Student and Teacher Enrichment Program). So I decided thento write an article on the program so everyone might understand not only the genesis of the program but what its goals are and why it is structured the way it is. Every three years or so, La Cañada High School goes through an accreditation process conducted by an organization known as the Western Association of Schools and Colleges or WASC.

St. Bede School hosted their annual Science Fair featuring 8th Grade projects on March 11 and 12. Under the direction of Mr. Jeff Fox, students researched a project of their choice, and experimentally tested their hypothesis. Students competed in either the physical or life science field. The winners in Life Science were l st Michael Dimen, 2nd Amber Montesanto; 3rd Justin Hamm and Honorable Mention Raleigh Scharre. In the Physical Science category, the winners were 1st Michael Thompson, 2nd Marc Schwartz, 3rd Don Pontrelli and Honorable Mention Brendan Murran.

A bumper crop of talented local boys’ track and field athletes will look to make their mark during the upcoming season. Some will seek personal-best marks, while others will shoot to win league championships in their respective events. As was the case in recent seasons, Flintridge Prep will be stocked with a quality group of distance runners. Many of them helped the Rebels finish third in the Division V race at the CIF State Cross Country Championships at Woodward Park in Fresno last November.

A February episode of NPR’s “Talk of the Nation” reported that a survey from the Pew Forum on Religion showed that a vast majority of Americans, nearly 80%, believe in miracles. The results are from a wider study, “Religion Among the Millennials.” What is, in your opinion, the definition of a miracle? What does your religion teach about miracles? And have you ever been witness to one?   Graham Bothwell : In the context of this week’s question, the word “miracle” brings to mind divine intervention, or other phenomena not explainable by nature.